TEDS – Train Early Detection System

In Canada there are just over 17,000 public rail crossings—17% have gates, 22% just have bells and lights, and the remaining 61% have a white, reflective X crossing sign which at times is accompanied by a stop sign. In the U.S., the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) latest figures (2009) indicate there are 136,041 public rail crossings—31% have gates, 16% have flashing lights and 1% have highway traffic signals, wigwags and bells. The remaining 52% have a yellow and black crossbuck. Unsecured rail crossings, combined with distracted drivers, can lead to fatal accidents. For example, the Sept 18th, 2013 OC Transpo / VIA rail crash resulted in 6 fatalities and 34 people injured. The TBS investigation determined that distracted driving was a key cause of the crash, and distracted driving is on the rise.
In this project, we will explore and develop the key building blocks to building an efficient and scalable train early detection system (TEDS). The key idea is as follows: As trains move, their locations are updated on a public or private server. User devices such as a smartphone run an APP that checks a user’s location against known train locations.

Faculty Supervisor:

Thomas Kunz

Student:

Sagnik Banerjee;Saurabh Damani

Partner:

DataMotive

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Transportation and warehousing

University:

Carleton University